At this point, we are still unclear on just how powerful the Nintendo Switch really will be – recent rumors indicate it will be less powerful than the PS4, and about as powerful as the Xbox One – but they’re just that, rumors, and rumors about this system is all over the place.
However, even if the Switch does end up being not as powerful as the Xbox One and PS4, that won’t matter or hurt its prospects in the long run, according to Dave Mervik of Tarsier Studios, the folks working on Little Nightmares currently.
“Hardware power hasn’t really mattered for Nintendo in a long while,” Mervik said in an interview with GamingBolt. “It didn’t matter for the Wii and it’s likely not the reason why the Wii U didn’t do as well. The accessibility of the product, the Nintendo games and the dedication from third-party developers is going to matter a lot more. The Switch is doing its own thing and it has potential to do well, both as a full or secondary alternative to Sony and Microsoft consoles.”
His point sort of stands, although I do think that one of the things he is counting on – good third party support – comes with the territory of being powerful enough to support. That said, as long as the Switch is scaleable and easy to port to, it should be fine- and all accounts indicate that is exactly what it will be. Whatever the case, though, we should know for sure come January 13. And hey, in the worst case? It will be the most powerful handheld ever made, if nothing else.